Kick off the summer street fair season at St. Johns Bizarre, with local music, 75 juried craft vendors, food, a beer garden, and kids’ activities the same day as the noon St. Johns Parade in North Portland.

Enjoy heavy armored combat, strolling musicians, singers, dancers, story telling, juggling, medieval cooking, merchants, and demos of book binding and leather working at Faire In The Grove on the lawn at McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove. Free.CityFair & fireworks

City Fair

May 27 - June 12, 2016 (dates below)

CityFair has carnival rides, exhibits, beer, a food fair, and fireworks on May 27 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. No pets. Open May 27-30, June 2-5 and 9-12.

Portland's a magnet for sleek hotel experiences, from upscale boutique hotels to major luxury hotel chains, the city has something to exceed even the most discriminating of traveler 's tastes. Peruse our list and find a excuse to reserve a room and stay. You'll be glad you did.

Locals should consider booking in advance for Engagements, Anniversarys, Birthdays, Parents Night Out, New Year's Eve, Valentines, 4th Of July and as a base station for Christmas shopping and wrapping.

Less than a two-hour drive from Portland, Pacific City is located in south Tillamook County, and is even closer to Salem. If you prefer “as the crow flies”, there’s a small state owned (unattended) airport in the heart of Pacific City.

Unique gift shops and galleries feature Oregon artisans. Dining in Pacific City caters to a variety of tastes, and lodging options are plenty including public parks, inns, motels or bed-and-breakfasts. Whether you stay the day, the weekend or an extended vacation, Pacific City offers something for everyone.

Things to do:

Beach Combing and Cape Kiwanda Marine Gardens with tidal pools

Bicycling

Bird Watching

Camping

Canoe, Kayak & Motor Boating

Clamming

Crabbing

Dining

Dory Watching

Fishing

Kite Flying

Golf

Hang Gliding & Paragliding

Hiking and Backpacking

Horseback Riding

Marine and Mammal Animal Watching

Monolith Watching

Off Roading

Picnicking

Photography

Sand Dune Climbing

Shopping

Surfing

Whale Watching

*Vehicle beach access

Click Here for more details on things to do, places to stay and dine at one of Oregon's coolest beaches.

Tickets go on sale September 1st for all four Weekend Experiences, the à la carte Truffle Dog Training Seminar or Truffle Growers’ Forum, the Friday only truffle dog training audit, the Sunday afternoon cooking class, and the Grand Truffle Dinner.

This year's Ninth annual Oregon Truffle Festival has a range of elegant and unique à la Carte and Weekend experiences to offer you as we bridge the Old and New Worlds of all things truffle. We’ve added new events and new venues, and are excited about Oregon craft beer and spirits joining the beverage mix this year.

Fresh from the earth, the coveted Oregon white truffle can fetch up to $400 a pound.

John Clark

"As a general rule, I try to stay away from lumpy brown objects fetched from the jaws of strange dogs. But when you’re in the heart of Oregon mushroom country, every mud-caked ball of earth could be a truffle treasure.

I’m standing at the edge of a dense fir forest in the Willamette Valley with 18 foot-stomping, hand-clapping gourmands and their pets—shepherds, poodles, a Chihuahua in a knit sweater. We’re huddled together on a chilly Saturday morning to learn how to hunt one of the state’s most prized culinary ingredients: the elusive Oregon truffle."

“Today we’re going after the Oregon white,” says Jim Sanford, a 6-foot-4 former elephant handler turned dog trainer and the leader of our expedition. Beside him, sitting at attention, is Tom, a 35-pound Lagotto Romagnolo with tight white and tan curls, a trained truffle hunter who in one season sniffed out 200 pounds of French Périgords, the second-most expensive mushroom in the world at around $900 a pound. “The only place we’ve ever hunted Oregon truffles is right here. Exactly this weekend every year.”

"The last full week in January, to be precise, when Oregon truffles tend to reach their musky peak of perfection and hundreds of enthusiasts from around the world come to Eugene for the Oregon Truffle Festival—three days of unrestrained fungal madness that includes workshops, cooking demos, seminars, wine tastings, and elaborate multicourse dinners built around the mud-caked balls of earth that Tom and his pack of four-legged foragers hope to uncover."

Click Here to read Ted Katauskas full article on Oregon's truffles featured in January's issue of Sunset Magazine.

Click Here to learn more about Oregon's next Truffle Festival Janury 24-26, 2014.

Pineapple Express. Arctic blast. Storms that sound like exotic cocktails bash the beautiful Pacific Rim from Canada to California. If high-wind warnings and flood alerts are music to your ears, here are 10 places to cozy up in a seaside room or park by the shore and enjoy the fury before whale-watching season begins. Click Here to read the full article on MSN.com.

Though you could hang ten on this scenic byway for the full 363 miles, narrow down your trip to the part of the coast that is the most emblematic of the Pacific Northwest’s rugged terrain. Many cite Cannon Beach, about 80 miles west of Portland, as a favorite destination. Considered one of the best art towns in America, it also has unique natural landmarks such as Haystack Rock, one of the largest sea stacks in the U.S. The 235-foot monolith hovering over the beach attracts seabirds and tourists alike. Explore old-growth rain forest on the north end of Cannon Beach, then drive south to Tillamook, where the famous cheese of the same name is made.

The ideal romantic lake outing requires three things. 1. Natural beauty, because soaring hearts demand scenery to match. 2. Not too many people, because romance shuns crowds. 3. Some luxury, because love likes it a little cushy. Suttle Lake, in central Oregon, earns top marks in all three categories. The glacier-formed lake is undeniably a stunner. But oddly, even at the height of summer, Suttle never feels mobbed—despite being one of Oregon’s more accessible mountain lakes (U.S. 20 skirts its northern shore).

But luxury is where Suttle really scores. Its seven-year-old resort is a modern take on Mt. Hood’s Timberline Lodge, big on rough-hewn beams and wrought-iron chandeliers. The spa offers couples’ massages; the Boathouse Restaurant serves surprisingly-ambitious-for-being-out-in-the wilds Northwest cuisine, like grilled salmon with charmoula cumin sauce and buttermilk-soaked trout and chips. There’s a long list of activities you can participate in—kayaking, canoeing, fly-fishing, hiking. But if you just want to sit on the lodge lawn gazing off at the lake and thinking only about each other, that’s fine too.

Stay: Eagle Feather, the most desirable of the 11 lodge suites, features a sitting room with a stone fireplace and a sleeping loft overlooking the lake. The older lodge cabins are pretty simple, but four contemporary versions fronting Cinder Beach feature all the modern luxuries of the lodge rooms. Lodge suites from $199, waterfront cabins from $299; 2-night min.; thelodgeatsuttlelake.com

Beyond Bizarre Ghost Tour - If you've seen the "Ghost Hunters", "Ghost Adventures", or "Paranormal State" TV shows and liked it, then this is the right adventure for you! Unexplained mysteries, ghostly adventures, and spooky stories abound on the “Beyond Bizarre” tour. If you like the paranormal, weird, or wacky, let these tour guides guide you through an evening of adventure. All people of all faiths and backgrounds, including skeptics, are welcomed.

At the start of the tour, you are handed real ghost hunting equipment just like that used by professionals and on TV. You then set out visiting known ghostly places and getting behind the scenes into what hauntings are all about. Unlike other ghost tours, this is not a theatrical performance where lanterns are carried and your guides are dressed up in period costumes. It's a true view into the reality of paranormal investigations, the equipment and techniques are used by professonals, and how they separate the truth from the hoaxes.

Butte Creek Falls for a picnic and and a dip in the swimming hole. This is the first of three significant waterfalls on Butte Creek accessible along the Butte Creek Falls trail system. The Upper falls drop over a wide, uniform and extremely undercut ledge into a large pool below. Paths lead behind the falls into the deep grotto from the trail near the falls. The undercut is so deep that boaters who run this waterfall can even paddle THROUGH the falls. The falls are accessed via an excellent trail system, built by the Oregon State Department of Forestry, which has set aside a chunk of land surrounding the falls for protection, which is nice to see, after driving through the massive clear-cuts en route to the falls.

Enchanted Forest - Children find a world of fantasy in the beautiful lush forest of this land of enchantment, also home of the Big Timber Log Ride, the biggest log ride in the NW. Enjoy Western Town, Summer Comedy Theater, English Village, Fasntasy Fountains water-light show and kiddy and adult rides for the entire family's enjoyment. Gift shops, food, charming picnic areas and more. Click Here for more details.

Festival of Balloons in Tigard - weekend events include a carnival, good food, 5K run, car show and of course morning hot air ballooon launches and NW Natural Night Glow. Click Here for more details.

Forest Grove's Concours d'Elegance features over 300 classic cars, trucks, motorcycles and other autos from the Pacific Northwest and beyond, as well as musical stage acts and tasty summer treats that make it fun for the whole family. Proceeds from the Concours d'Elegance help fund scholarships and local charity projects. Click Here for more detailed information.

4th of July Astoria

The area of Astoria and Warrenton is a nationally significant historic region at the western end of the Lewis & Clark Trail. Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies; a place that takes visitors back to simpler times, its architecture dominated by hundreds of Victorian homes clinging to steep wooded hillsides and with a revitalized 1920s era downtown; all set against a backdrop of tremendous natural beauty in the temperate rain forest at the mouth of the Columbia River. Visitors have an opportunity to escape into an appealing, intriguing past. Unspoiled and generally uncrowded, Astoria and Warrenton nonetheless have several first-class interpretive attractions including Fort Clatsop, the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the Flavel House, Fort Stevens State Park, the Astoria Riverfront Trolley and the Astoria Column. The area has an extraordinary sense of place and feeling of history.

Gearhart - Everyone's got a favorite beach in Oregon for one reason or another. This summer our focus is on the charming and secluded coastal community of Geahart. Envision Angela Landsbury riding through town on a beach bike with a basket full of flowers. There's an old fashioned ice cream shop, a gourmet restaurant, general store, gift shops and plenty of motels, hotels and vacation rentals set on a backdrop of pristine beaches that rival the expanse and ambiance of those one finds in the The Hamptons. Click Here for more details.

Kah-Nee-Ta Resort, Casino and Spa offers a variety of accommodations from suites and private view balcony rooms in the Lodge to Village suites and teepees and even a full-service RV Park. Every option is close to all the fun and diverse activities available at Kah-Nee-Ta. Click Here for more details.

Malibu Raceway is a state of the art facility dedicated to racing and competition. Enjoy one of three different styles of race cars. High powered indy style cars for adults, two-seater cars and even cars for the kids. They also have batting cages for all skill levels, a game room, the Pit Stop Snack Bar and great package deals. Check 'em out! Click Here

Maryhill Winery Concerts at the Ampitheater - what a spectacular line-up this year; Earth Wind and Fire, Chris Isaak, Allison Krauss & Union Station and Huey Lews & The News.

PDX Adult Soapbox Derby - Once a year a brave group of racers convene on the daunting slopes of Mt. Tabor to test their metal to their mettle, spill their blood, or even worse, spill their BEER. This unique community of thrill seekers pays homage to the city's volcano that allows these rebels to tickle her spine annually. Click Here for more details.

Port of Toledo Annual Wooden Boat Show

The Wooden Boat Show showcases vintage and new wooden boats at Port Dock One. The finest boat builders in the Pacific Northwest come to display their work and demonstrate their craft. Live music, food from various vendors and events for the whole family. Local artisans line the walk to display and sell their work. Click Here for more detailed information.

Sand Rail Tours - Some of the worlds largest and most beautiful dunes are located on the Central Oregon Coast. Glistening valleys, vast hills of shifting sand, and desert atmosphere make the dunes truly a must see!

When it comes to fun and excitement, Sand Rail Tours can accommodate just about everyone’s needs. From an exciting guided Sand Rail Tour or a Professionally guided Interpretive Scenic Tour on one of our Famous Big Purple Buggies driven by our skilled drivers. Click Here for more detailed information.